Posts Filed under: $5000 and Under
Dell Goes Sexy With New All-in-One Computer
"Give in to the power of the tea," the male model, Hansel, whispered as he seduced the overcome reporter in the epic comedy, Zoolander. That's what we thought of as we entered Armani/Casa, an ultra-hip interior design locale in SoHo where fashionistas shop for their postmodern couches and Eastern-influenced coffee tables. It wasn't a home makeover mission that brought us to Never Neverland, however, as we were there to preview Dell's XPS One, the newest all-in-one home computer, which came out on November 19th and is the latest entry in the growing area of stylish, all-in-one computers.
Picking our way through the hotly attired models and Dell executives that dotted the sleek Armani/Casa homescape, we began to understand the nature of this particular computing beast... Home computing is undergoing a transformation in character, style or that je ne sais quoi these days, and the XPS One is Dell's attempt to get sexy. And make no mistake, the folks at Dell will sell their stock to Apple before letting the competition's Gateway One and the Sony Vaio L Series overshadow their own product's libido.
All black, the machine is comprised of a 20-inch, high-definition widescreen monitor that houses the computer itself, with just one cable to plug in. The only other components are a wireless mouse and an old-school infrared wireless keyboard that triumphs over the inconsistent Bluetooth keyboards from former XPS models. In addition, the XPS boasts a built-in TV tuner, whereas most PC models of this size and type, including the Gateway One, have an external tuner or none at all, like the Sony Vaio L Series.
A couple of things that we really liked were the motion sensors that, when triggered, light up the media keys and a half-circle of blue light that illuminates the slot-loading drive on the lower, right hand corner of the monitor. We also dug the great speakers that come stock with every XPS as well as the option to include a Blu-ray drive (as long as you're willing to pay more). While the cheapest XPS One goes for $1,499, the version with all of the bells and whistles maxes out at $2,399.
Overall, this computer seems to have the it sexy factor that Dell wanted to develop. Whether you're an artiste whose closet includes clothing in black or black, or just a regular consumer looking for a home computer that looks smokin' and futuristic while doing it all without the complications, this is the all-in-one product for you.
The only downside is that the models we saw at Armani/Casa are not offered with the XPS at this time.
Gallery: Dell XPS One
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Switched Reviews the Gibson Robot Guitar
On December 7, guitar enthusiasts around the nation will be able to get their callused hands on the Gibson Robot Guitar, a first-of-its-kind, self-tuning instrument packed with a computer and motorized tuners. This special edition Les Paul will initially only be available in limited quantities -- 10 guitars for each of 400 retailers across the nation.
What it does: The Robot Guitar has a built-in tuner, a CPU, and motorized tuners that turn to increase or decrease the pitch of each string individually until the whole guitar is in tune. The on board computer is also used to switch from standard tuning (EADGBe) to a host of alternate tunings and even set intonation.
What we like: The preset alternate tunings such as DADGAD and Open D (DADF#AD) are great for the forgetful and impatient. The Robot Guitar switches to alternate tunings much quicker than a person could, and the user can even change the presets for custom tunings, in case your playing style is less Son House and more Sonic Youth. And the intonation mode is a real cash saver. The computer guides you through adjusting the string saddles until you have perfect intonation, which guarantees pitch-perfect playing along the entire neck of the guitar. (With standard guitars, this adjustment is performed by a professional in a repair shop, which means parting ways with your instrument for a period of time and coughing up about $50 for the service.)
Then there is the paint job, a gorgeous coat of super glossy "silver burst" that goes from a subtle silver in the center to a beautiful, bright blue around the edges. This particular color was designed specifically for the Robot Guitar and is sadly not available on any other instrument from Gibson, but we hope thischanges soon. Most importantly, this ax maintains that classic Les Paul tone -- thick, buttery, and smooth. In fact, it sounds so good, it almost feels like cheating. Even a novice can sound like Jimmy Page with a Les Paul strapped on.
What we don't: There isn't much to dislike about this thing. The tuner occasionally had trouble picking out the last string or two when tuning, which slowed down the process, and if the guitar is just slightly out of tune, it's actually faster to adjust by hand in most cases. Our biggest worry with the device is the construction. The guitar feels solid enough, but pulling out and pushing back the tuning knobs for manual adjustment made us a little nervous. Repairing the guitar is also bound to be an expensive proposition should the tuner, computer, or motors fail. You won't be able to take this to your local music shop for repairs.
Does it live up to the hype: Surprisingly enough, yes. When we first heard about this thing we were skeptical -- a guitar that tunes itself comes off as a bit of an unnecessary novelty, but Gibson's newest innovation proved its usefulness to us. Not to mention that playing 'War Pigs' on any Les Paul is a wonderfully satisfying experience.
Price and where to get it: $2,499 at select Gibson retailers across the nation. You can find the nearest one here.
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Gateway 30-Inch LCD XHD3000 High-Definition Monitor
For those who need screen real-estate for High-Definition graphics manipulation (or maybe just some home video- or picture-editing), the new $1,700 Gateway XHD3000 LCD 30-inch monitor is perfect -- it's not only huge for a computer monitor, but it also up-converts video to 1600p, a startling four times higher than standard 720p high-definition video. With state-of-the-art connections, including HDMI, VGA, DVI, composite, S-Video and six USB ports this monitor can handle any kind of source you might want to plug into it. The HD Picture-in-Picture technology lets, say, shutterbugs be productive on Adobe Photoshop while they catch up on their woefully long classic movie list. Although this baby hooks up to surround sound systems quite easily, it's not really required, since it since comes with an eight-speaker soundbar at the bottom that emits a 3-D-like sound. Ideal for creative multi-taskers.
From Gateway Computer
Meridian F80
This just-released home entertainment system is co-branded with Ferarri -- so you know it's not gonna be cheap -- but this baby is for the high-end music lover who probably already has an Italian sports car, anyway. The Meridian F80 is a one-box, tabletop 2.1 system -- two speakers in the front, a subwoofer in the back, and a whole lot of DSP in the middle. It features the same Meridian DSP technology found on the DSP8000 speakers costing $55,000 -- making its $2,999 price tag seem like a steal! (Sorta, but not really.) It's phenomenal for pristine music output in small spaces (like a penthouse studio in New York City), but can also connect to virtually any video display for some seriously high-end media enjoyment (including a Faroudja projector...which will cost you – actually, if you have to ask, you can't afford it).
From Meridian
The Gibson Robot Guitar
If money is no object and your giftee just simply has to have one of everything, you might as well pick him/her up the Robot Guitar from Gibson when it goes on sale December 7. Price? We're not sure... but you can bet it'll be expensive. The Robot Guitar is available in a limited edition version only for now, with just 400 stores carrying 10 units each at $2,500 a pop.
This axe hides a computer in the neck that controls motorized tuners, which allowing players to forget about tuning almost all together. The built-in computer even has preset alternate tunings so guitarists can switch from standard to DADGAD on the fly. It also helps users fix the intonation, a process usually handled by a professional in a repair shop.
All of this comes in a classic Les Paul shape with a gorgeous new paint job dubbed "Blue Silverburst."
From Gibson
Panasonic Toughbooks
If your shopping list includes a frequent traveler who needs a new laptop and who also happens to be a bit of a klutz, consider the just-released Panasonic Toughbook 7 series. Toughbooks are rugged notebooks built to withstand all of the tortures the average person could throw at them. Knock them off a table, right on the LCD, and it wont crack. Spill your morning coffee in them and the darn things survive.
They even comes in three different flavors, all of which start with the same battery-sipping but powerful Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, magnesium alloy casing, shock mounted hard drive, and 3G cellular data radio (so users can surf the Web at high-speeds).
The Y7 (starts at $2,400) is the 14-inch standard bearer, with a five hour battery life. The W7 is the ultra portable 12-inch laptop that weighs in under seven pounds, and has a seven hour battery life, making it ideal for the always-mobile and always-connected on your shopping list, as long as you don't mind dropping a minimum of $2,100 on them. Then there is the T7, a rugged tablet that comes in at the same price as the W7. The T7 drops the built in optical drive (for CDs and DVDs) of the Y7 and W7, adds a touch screen, and gets its battery life up to a jaw dropping nine hours.
Unless someone backs up over these with their SUV, the Toughbooks should be pretty indestructible -- even for the biggest of klutzes.
From Panasonic
HP Blackbird 002 Ultimate Gaming PC
HP has come a long way in the high-end gaming PC market. The Blackbird 002 is one of the fastest PC's out there, with record-setting performance in most categories. And in terms of looks, it makes all other gaming PC's look like the tacky machines that they are -- this is one of the best-designed PC's around, gaming or otherwise (practical little touches, like the media card reader and a handful of ports that pop up from the top of the unit, underline the point). It's highly upgradable, highly sought-after, and highly-priced (anywhere from $2,500-$7,000, depending on configuration). If you can afford it, though, this is the PC to have. Your gamer (and his or her games) will love you for it (and vice versa).
hp.com
Panasonic 50-inch 1080P Plasma
From Panasonic
Flybook VM Notebook
The Flybook VM ($1,400 and up) started as a concept PC -- after being entered into Intel's laptop design contest, an Italian company (read: Flybook) turned it into a reality (and manufactures it in China, but that's another story). This nifty looking thing's claim-to-fame is its adjustable 12.1-inch widescreen display, which can be pushed and pulled up, down, backwards, and forwards -- much like a desktop computer's flat-panel monitor. This design innovation (for laptops, anyway) comes in handy when, say, trying to work in cramped spaces (like coach class airplane seat). Distinctive looks aside, the VM is also as wireless-friendly as it gets-- HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, which means you can get online pretty much anywhere in the world and blast music to wireless speakers and headsets. Also: fingerprint recognition and a 1.3 megapixel camera (for Skype or other video-messaging). Oh, and you've got your choice of black, silver, red or yellow.
From Flybook
